No Greater Love series # 2
No Greater Choice
The phone rang four
times before Tommy realized it wasn't a dream. He reached over to the night
stand and picked up his blackberry, pressed the talk button and just listened.
"Tommy this is Ray Stanford your old tent mate" at that, Tommy
quickly sat up at the edge of the bed and tried clearing his head. He had been
in the business long enough to know when someone needed help. "Hey Scooter
it's good to hear your voice, but its 0330 and you sound like you're in some
kind of trouble" all Tommy could hear was a low tone nervous laugh between
the words coming from his old friend. "Listen Miles, I'm deep into
something and now I don't know how to get out of it without winding up six feet
under, and I'm not ready to meet our maker just yet" Tommy thought of the
last time he had seen his old friend, Ray had just gotten married. "How is
Pam these days?" Tommy figured a little distraction could probably relax
his friend and get him to calmly explain the trouble he found himself in.
"I don't know and to make matters worse, that's what has me worried
the most" Tommy’s Marine instincts went into high gear and with a little
attitude in his voice he demanded to know the whole reason for this early
morning disturbance. "Okay Marine, spill it, what's going on? You're dancing
around an issue, and honestly I'm in no mood for games so out with it" Ray
took a deep breath and began to recount what sounded more like a game of
espionage. When Ray was done Tommy asked him if he was in a safe place,
waited for the answer then replied, "I'm booking the first flight out,
meet me at 2200 over by the pier, the one where we took the Lazy Lady for her
maiden voyage" Ray agreed and the line went dead.
Tommy called in an old
favor and two hours later he was on a private twin engine Cessna 340 at 20,000
feet. Traveling on short notice on a commercial flight would mean arriving
unarmed and on this mission that was not an option. He wasn't totally
sure what he was about to encounter once he met his old friend, who, at times
in their past came a little short in disclosing information. After landing at
Suburban Airport W-18 in Laurel, Maryland, Tommy called a taxi cab and headed
for a car rental. Renting a car as far away as possible from the airport would
lessen the chance of being tracked if things went amiss. Tommy opted for a 2013
Dodge Charger R/T, somehow having horsepower on this trip seemed like a smart
idea. He threw his MARPAT Giant Duffle Bag in the trunk after removing his
Glock, a snug nose thirty eight and a pair of binoculars. He got behind the
wheel, typed the address on his phone's GPS and headed for Federal Hill Park.
This was a good place to blend in with a bird’s eye view in all 360. Tommy
figured to be there hours before and do a little recon before his rendezvous
with his old pal.
Ray still had
about five hours before catching up with his old friend and his nerves were on
edge. He paced his house incessantly looking through both front and rear
windows, a Beretta 9mm with FMJ rounds on hand at all times. Every little noise
triggered a nerve and Ray had to constantly wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Sleep had eluded him for the past three days and staying awake was a struggle.
Not being able to sleep was nothing new for him these days; it had been months since
he had a good night's sleep. With all the trouble surrounding him these days he
had no idea when he would be able to get some much needed rest. Finding his
wife on his own had turned up nothing but new enemies and old nightmares. How
he wished right now that had listened to Tommy all those times he spoke about a
God that watches over those who love and serve Him.
The member’s only
club he had been attending for the past year had become his biggest regret to
date. Ray knew from the first time he had entered the club that there was
illegal business being conducted in the mist of all the partying. Conversations
he’d overheard confirmed what Ray suspected that fatal night for one of the
club’s oldest member. The club was a central hub for a numbers racket and the
moving of tons of crack, powder cocaine and ecstasy. Ray had a little too much
to drink one night and wandered down a hallway which was normally guarded from
mostly everyone. He had walked halfway down the hall when he heard loud voices and
someone pleading for their life. Ray stood there and listened for just too long
a moment; when the door opened, he saw a man beaten to the point that he
wouldn't have recognized even if shown a picture. Ray turned to walk away
before he could do so he was stopped by two men. He decided to play a bit
drunker than he was because the sight of the injured man had sobered him up a
little. The two men had shoved him around and when they were satisfied with
what they heard they showed him to the front door and watched him until he
drove away. Even through the fog of drunkenness, Ray figured they’d taken note
of his tag number. The hunch was confirmed when days later the anonymous phone
calls started. Twice, he had noticed a car following him and as if that wasn’t
enough his wife had gone missing, and then came the call warning him not to
call the authorities. Ray decided to do what he thought was the next best
thing, call Tommy Gunn.
Tommy arrived at the
park and did a quick scan of the parking lot. No one would blend into his
surroundings while sitting in a car, he thought; so he pulled into an empty
space cut the engine and proceeded toward the boat slip where Ray would meet
him. He reached a bench about two hundred yards from the docks and sat with the
binoculars in hand and acted like a bird watcher. So far Tommy was convinced
that no one was there doing the same thing he was. He also knew from many years
of experience that one could never be too careful, so with a two hour window he
got up off the bench and began to walk the park. The sun had set and darkness
was taking hold of the evening. He picked a spot on the hill by an old Civil
War cannon where he could stay hidden, watch the docks, and have a 360 degree
view.
Ray was relieved when
2100 arrived and no one had shown up to take his head off. He had been one of
the elite men in his platoon but all the drinking over the past ten years had
weakened his senses and he's reflexes. It had been three days since his last
drink and the shakes were relentless. He walked into the garage, sat behind the
wheel and waited for his nerves to calm before he started the car and opened
the garage door. Out the driveway, a left at the stop sign, a quick glance in
the rear view mirror and a cleansing breath to thank the God of Tommy that he
had no tail. The thirty minute drive seemed like an eternity as Ray reached the
lot at Federal Hill Park. He reached over to the passenger seat, grabbed a hold
of his phone and texted Tommy, "On spot and you??" Tommy replied
"I have eyes on our AO, proceed" Ray got out of his car and headed
for the docks, the thought of death remained firmly in the back of his mind.
Tommy walked up after
watching Ray for about ten minutes, unannounced and undetected. "Hello
Scooter, it's been a while old friend, don't believe I've ever seen you so on
edge before" Ray turned, faced his old friend and extended his hand and
firmly shook Tommy's hand pulling him forward for a bear hug. "I've had
better days man, even on our worst days overseas things never got this nerve
racking. I have no idea how I'm still alive, but what bothers and hurts me the
most is not knowing where Pam is or if she is even alive." Tommy stepped
back, scanned the area then looked back at his friend and replied, "First
we need to get out of here and find somewhere we can talk without having to
look over our shoulders, and then we can figure this whole thing out. I promise
we will find Pam and whoever is responsible for her disappearance." Tommy
slapped Ray on the back gently and said, "Come you're riding with me,
we'll leave your car here to throw off the dogs and, by the way, where can we
get some pancakes? I’m hungry"
The two men
quickly and without another word, headed straight for the parking lot and over
to Tommy’s car. Ray first walked over to his car, pulled out a backpack he had
stuffed with a few necessities and jumped into the passenger’s seat of the
Charger. Tommy left the park and headed down Key Hwy. and then took Light
Street heading north. Tommy needed to find a place to figure out what his
friend had gotten himself into, and plan what their next move would be. First
stop was an Ihop for his pancakes, some coffee and clearing his head. After
both men had filled their stomachs, Tommy rented two rooms in a quiet part of
town and decided to take a few hours to nap and gather his thoughts. Ray had
told Tommy that the club where he had overheard the info that now threatened
him, closed at 0400.
Tommy had taken a two
hour power nap, he got up jumped in the shower, dressed and exited the hotel.
It was 0335 when Tommy reached The Players Club and took up a position across
the street to watch who the last to exit and lock the doors were. His plan was
to find a way in and collect some information. He knew there would be an alarm
to disable and cameras to avoid recognition. Everyone exiting from the moment
he arrived had his or her face on film. Half hour after being sure that the
place was empty; Tommy approached the rear of the club, stood still for a
minute and took a deep breath. He knew if he were caught, one of two things
could happen, if caught by the police, he would be charged with burglary, but theft
it was and by the owner it would be kill or be killed. Tommy also knew that
most criminals are not as smart as they give themselves credit for and they
always left evidence behind. First, he needed to find exactly what it was they
were into and where their weakness lay. Someone had to know where Pam was or
what had happened to her, people don't normally disappear without a trace.
Tommy prayed as he stood up against the wall, "Lord watch over me and
please help me to find anything that tells me where Pam might be, be by her
side and protect her Lord as only You can, Amen." Tommy reached into his top
inner coat pocket and removed a small zippered case. He opened it up and took a
hold of a few instruments. From his right sleeve he pulled out a bolt-cutter
and quickly snapped the chain on the gated fence. He closed the fence behind
him and positioned the chain to appear intact. He moved over to the rear door
and with the instruments in his hand, he undid the locks and stepped inside.
Tommy knew he had approximately forty five seconds to disarm the alarm and ten
of those second would be gone by the time he reached the front door. The
instant he reached the alarm pad he removed it from the wall with one swing of
the bolt cutters, hammer style. Then using the cutters again he cut the wires
and waited a few more seconds making sure the alarm didn't go off. Tommy walked
to the back of the club to find the hallway Ray spoke about. The two offices in this
section of the club were locked but not a problem for Tommy to enter. He moved
through both offices as quickly as possible not caring what he rubbished to
find some answers. Tommy was careful not to leave any evidence for the enemy,
but a clear message that someone had invaded their space. He wanted them to
react and do something out of their routine. He planted a few undetectable bugs
hoping to hear what really went on inside those walls. In what he thought to be
the main man’s office he planted a micro video camera to transmit pictures to
his computer. On an external hard drive he backed up both computers so he could
view its content when he returned to his hotel room. Tommy wanted to make it
look like a robbery and not like someone looking for information. He found the
safe, opened it and robbed it. After leaving the club, Tommy drove by a
homeless shelter, dropped a large sack of money on the ground and knocked on
the door. He watched as a man picked up the sack, looked inside, raised his
head toward heaven and hurried to close the door. He then drove back to the
hotel, jumped in his bed and let sleep overtake him.
Ray woke up after
almost eight hours of sleep and for the first time in about a week he felt well
rested. He exited his room and headed to the dining area for the complementary
breakfast. The TV was tuned to the news station and the coverage was about a
robbery at a club in the greater downtown Baltimore area, immediately, Ray knew
where his old war friend had been the night before. He listened with a smile on
his face but frowned at the thought that Tommy had angered a giant. He had
enlisted the help of his old friend and now prayed that Tommy had a good plan
for this life or a possible departure from it. After he had finished his bagel
with cream cheese, a plate of eggs and coffee he filled an extra cup with black
coffee no sugar and went off to wake Tommy for some answers.
Between the knocking and someone
calling out "Miles" repeatedly Tommy sat up on the edge of the bed.
Two hours of sleep was not going to 'cut it' he thought to himself. "Hold
on" he yelled at the door as he slowly moved towards the bathroom. He
turned on the faucet, washed his face and rinsed his mouth, grabbed a towel,
dried up and stared into the mirror. "This is going to be a long day"
he said to the reflection and headed to the door. "Man you’re not going to
believe what I just saw on the news" was the first words out of Ray's
mouth the instant the door opened. "Sure I would because you wouldn't lie
to me" Tommy replied with half a smile on his face as he took the cup of
coffee from Ray. "This is for me, yes? Now tell me what you heard"
Ray was already turning on the TV trying to find a station reporting the local
news and replied, "The club we spoke about apparently was robbed last
night"
Tommy sat at the desk
and opened his laptop. After the computer had booted, Tommy inserted an USB
cord to an open port and then attached his external hard drive. Ray stood over
him as Tommy explained what he had discovered and what he had done to make it
look like a robbery. Ray couldn't help but to laugh knowing that someone was
making good use of mob money. Ray found it a little eerie when Tommy opened a
window and the screen divided itself into four sections, he was looking at his
enemy head on. Tommy then opened up the external hard drive and began looking
at the files from the club’s computers. Some of what he found was encrypted but
within fifteen minutes he had broken through their weak attempts at security.
These guys left Tommy no doubt, and plenty of proof that they were into
everything from prostitution to drugs and stealing tax money from the sale of
fuel at a few local gas stations they owned.
Frankie
"Hawk-eye" O'Sullivan was the boss of this deadly Irish mob. He had
gotten the nickname because he saw and noticed every facet of his operation and
nothing was lost to him. He kept everyone of his men in line with his
philosophy that things were to be done his way, and if anyone questioned his
authority they were dead before reaching a horizontal position. He paced the
floor in his office eyeing each of his men, wondering if any of them had the
galls to pull off this betrayal. He had told the police that nothing was
missing and that he was sure someone had done this to scare him out of the
night club business. He was angry mostly because someone dared to break into
his club and more than the three hundred and forty thousand were missing from
the safe. He had already put out the word for anyone who had any information on
the person or persons who had carried out the break-in. He had asked the police
to leave and did not allow for any finger prints to be taken at his
establishment. He also stated that he would not be looking to press charges if
they found the perpetrator He knew he had some of the shadiest clients and
protecting his future investments took priority over the missing cash.
Tommy and Ray sat intently
watching the laptop screen as the gangsters swept the office for listening
devises and coming up empty handed. Tommy attached a recording device to his
computer to capture all the events of the day while he was away. He gave Ray
orders to stay in the room and not leave it for any reason. He left with keys
and weapon in hand. A little research obtained from a private site courtesy of
his employer, the U.S. Marshall’s and Pro-Sec agency yielded Mr. O'Sullivan’s
address. He steered his rental Charger north for the thirty minute ride to the
suburbs to do a little recon and possibly another break-in, albeit on a much
smaller scale. He smiled to calm his nerves. His thoughts during his commute
were on Pam, whom he had met only twice and had found her to be quiet and
reserved. She stood five feet two inches tall and pushed at one hundred ten
pounds, soaking wet. She had brown kind eyes and porcelain like white skin. She
was soft spoken, timid and painfully shy. Tommy feared that if these men had
taken her and were intending to use her as a pawn to get to Ray he needed to
find her and fast. No ransom note or calls had been received and no dead woman
had made the news in the past four day since Pam went missing, Tommy took that
as a good sign that she was alive somewhere. He prayed silently as he drove
that God would keep her safe and alive until he was able to locate her. He
rounded the last corner and slowly went pass the O’Sullivan estate. At first
glance he didn’t see any guards posted at the massive gate. He drove three
blocks and found a public park with mothers watching their children play. He
parked far away enough from the playground, as to not attract any attention to
him. He removed his pants and replaced them with a pair of sweat pants and his
dress shoes for running ones. He exited the car with a baseball cap, a pair of
sunglasses on his face and adjusted his ear buds. He studies the park and took
off at a gentle pace jog disappearing into the wooded area with a path that
rounded the park. Finding another exit to the park was important to ensure that
anyone who saw him get out of his car did not see him leaving the park. Before
exiting the park he stopped and, while jogging in place, acted like he was
changing music on his phone; pulled up his GPS and studied it for a second,
then took off though the gates and into the neighborhood.
Ray sat staring at the
computer with a pair of headphones firmly in place watched and listened to
every move and word spoken by the O’Sullivan clan. Ray took notes of some of
the conversation taking place hoping that one of the thugs would hint at where
his wife was being held. Tommy had been gone for over two hours and Ray’s
nerves were on edge having no alcohol running through his system was continuing
to wreck havoc. Tommy had warned him not to leave the hotel, let alone, the
room. On his way out he had taken the three small bottles of rum and vodka and
returning them to the front desk and gave instructions to the clerk that under
no circumstances were they to deliver any alcohol to his or Ray’s room. Ray was
trying real hard to remain sober and as the day went on he found himself once
again adjusting to sobriety. He had ordered room service but now that the food
had arrived he couldn’t even stomach the smell of the cheese steak sandwich and
fries. He tipped the delivery man and set the food aside hoping his appetite
would return before the food turned cold or spoiled. Back at the computer
nothing worth noting was going on, just a pack of wolves planning how to
further line their pockets and the death of the person who had dared to rob
them. After nearly three hours Ray started to worry about Tommy and decided
against his better judgment to call him. He hit speed dial and waited.
Tommy had entered the
premises and disarmed the security system. He had watched the house and its
entire property for more than an hour prior to making his move. Other than a
well dressed woman who had left driven by a chauffeur and another, whom he
could see pass frequently by the windows carrying laundry and cleaning
supplies, the place seemed deserted. After entering the house he reset the
alarm in case its occupants reappeared. From his first observation of this
massive three level floor plan house, Tommy estimated that the floor space was
over seven thousand square feet combined. His main strategy was to find an
office or a safe where Frankie kept any important papers or documents for any
other properties he may also own. Finding anything that might lead to Pam and
her whereabouts was his top priority while maybe finding some incriminating
evidence would serve as the icing. Avoiding the maid became a cat and mouse
game which was becoming increasingly irritating as well as time consuming. The
thought of putting her to sleep appealed to him but without any sedatives that
was a waste of good thinking. A green light went off as he watched her through
the second floor railing. The woman liked to take small sips of what appeared
to be gin or maybe vodka on the rocks. Tommy knew that a dope dealer like
Frankie had to have some form of drugs in the house. He set out to find the
medicine cabinet, hoping to find some kind of sedative in it. It wasn’t hard to
find, soon he hit the mother load. A cabinet filled with all kinds of narcotics
in the master bathroom. Tommy took hold of a bottle of eszopiclone and
immediately recalled that one of these little pills could put a man his size to
sleep in less than thirty minutes for a few hours. He dropped two into the palm
of his hand, pulled out his Ka-Bar 1218 USMC fighting knife and used the top of
the handle as a grinding tool. After the pills where powdered into a fine dust
he found himself heading to the kitchen where the maid kept making frequent
stops for the enticing swigs from her drink. The maid was on her way up the
stairs so Tommy hid in the hall AC air handler closet hoping she had no reason
for entering it. Following the distinct sound of her footsteps enter the room
at the end of the hallway he quickly and quietly headed for the first floor. Taking
a whiff of the drink and determining that indeed it was gin he moved over to
the bar with drink in hand dropped the fine powder into the glass, poured a
splash more of the pure gin, stirred it with his finger and returned it to its
proper place. About five minutes later the maid returned down the stairs and
just as he had hoped she took a swig and headed back to the laundry room. Tommy
waited for her to disappear and come out from behind the bar and bolt silently
for the second floor. Watching again from the corner of the railing and better
than he had planned the maid sat at the kitchen counter to enjoy the last of
his potion. He sat leaning against the wall waiting for the meds to do their
magic. Twenty minutes later he glanced down after not hearing movement and
smiled at the maid, pleasantly and profoundly asleep, who would be fired if the
family she was supposed to be taking care of were to arrive. Tommy came down
the stairs after waiting another ten minutes and approached the sleeping maid.
He put two fingers to her jugular vein and felt for a pulse. Her heart rate was
very slow but he knew she was not in any danger. Not wanting her to fall off
the stool, he eyed the couch about twenty five feet away, then at the five foot
seven inch woman who clearly weighted about one hundred and seventy pounds, he
took a deep breath and hoisted the woman on both arms like a man carrying his
bride over the threshold. He laid her down gently and went to work.
Pam had never been so
scared in her life. The prison she found herself in was the product of her
husband’s doing. She would have divorced him long ago if it wasn’t for her
beliefs that a wife is not to leave her husband except for infidelity. And as
far as she knew, Ray had never been unfaithful, a drunk yes, a loud mouth and
at times an angry man, absolutely, but deep down she knew it was always the
alcohol talking. When he was sober he was the man she had fallen in love with
eight plus years ago. He had never threatened her and she had never been afraid
that he would be violent towards her. But in the last year he had been
neglectful and absent minded when it came to her and her feelings. At the
moment all she could think of was the man she had married, strong, confident,
caring and loving. But lately he had lost all of that and became distant and
reclusive; never wanting to talk about what was bothering him, he preferred to
leave it at the bottom of a bottle. She knew he was a war hero and many of the
men who had attended their wedding respected him. "What would they think
of him today Lord” she said looking up toward the heavens. "And, why have
you forsaken me Lord" She stared to the ceiling though she wasn't really
able to see much. The only light in this damp and dark warehouse came in the
early morning when the sun shinned through the few pieces of glass at the top
of the tall overhead doors. By mid afternoon it would be dark enough that you
could only see a few feet in front of you. Her legs were cramped and she
thought she would never be able to straighten them again. The place was eerily
quiet except for the awful scratching she heard on the concrete floor and on
the rafters. She knew, since the first night that the only company she had were
rats and they were big. She couldn't stop the chills that coursed through her
body and she feared that in another day or two she would be their main dinner
course. Two nights ago she had dozed off and something had bit her on the
ankle, the swelling, pain, warmth and horrid smell pointed at an infection that
was taking a hold and spreading fast. Praying and reciting bible verses were
the only comfort she had. "Lord please help Ray in his time of need; give
him the strength to find or live without me, for I am dying"
Tommy knew he had
scored big time when he discovered the hidden door in Frankie’s master closet.
The room was small but well organized and everything was neatly in its own
little corner. It wasn’t hard to find the safe he was sure existed. It wasn’t
your small run of the mill just keep your money kind of safe. No, it was a tall
Liberty Lincoln LL24, 24-Gun Safe. Tommy smiled when he looked at the massive
mechanical tumbler. His grandfather had been a locksmith and one of the worlds’
most sought after safe-cracker. Most government agencies turned to him whenever
they encountered a criminal’s safe they couldn’t get access to from its owner.
On days like today, he’d crack a smile; looked heaven bound and thanked his
grandpa for all the knowledge in the art of cracking a safe. Five minutes later
he found what he had been looking for. With his phone he took photos of all the
documents and thought twice about taking what looked like a few thousand bucks,
which another charity could surely use. He knew that in this case, leaving no
trace or hint of ever being here, would serve as an element of surprise. He put
everything back as he had found it, checked on the maid, disarmed the alarm
and, like a ghost, vanished.
Ray let the phone ring
till it went to voice mail all four times he had tried to call Tommy. Two
minutes after his last call he heard the handle on the door twist and he turned
around 9mm pointing dead mass at Tommy’s chest. The big man stood with both
hands in the air and a big smile on his face and said, “Chill old buddy it’s
just me, I come in peace” Ray lowered the weapon and apologized. “Sorry, I’m
just really jumpy. What did you find out? Must be good because you’ve been gone
like forever” Tommy pulled out his phone, clicked on his photo app and handed
Ray the phone to look at. “Those are all the properties our boy Frankie
O’Sullivan owns, warehouses, tenement buildings, gas stations and empty lots. I
believe if he has Pam we will find her in one of these locations. I need to
make a phone call and find out more information as to what kind of business he
runs out each one of these places. That will help us decide which ones we are
going to hit first.” Ray remained silent as Tommy concluded his summation.
“Then I will email all his criminal activities to one of my friends at the Marshal’s
office and I’m sure it will be on the FBI’s desk before sundown”
Pam didn’t know if she
would live through one more night. She thought it would be a miracle if she
were able to stay awake all night and keep the rats from gnawing at her body.
Being able to watch all four sides was nearly impossible with the limited space
she had to move in. Her neck was sore and she was having problems breathing as
a result of the awkward position her body was in. The circulation on her legs
felt negligible and they felt cold to the touch. The tears had not stopped for
the last hour, and her eyes burned as if acid had been used for drops. Prayer
started to feel like a waste of time, she asked God, “What have I done to be
here in this hell. Why Lord have you forgotten about me? Please let me die
before these nasty filthy creatures eat me alive. Forgive me if I have sinned
against you Lord; take my soul before they take my flesh.”
Tommy had narrowed it down to two locations
and his gut told him they were running short on time. Splitting up was not an
option even though the two locations were over an hour from one another. The
first location was a fish distribution center and sounded like a good place to
hide a body. The second location was an unmarked warehouse that appeared to
have no specific use. Ray said, “I think we should try that second location
first, it’s far out of the way, in an area where there is no residential
neighborhood nearby. Personally, if I were looking for a good place to hide somebody,
that would be the smartest choice.” Tommy paced the room giving Ray’s word some
thought, he stopped by the window, did a military about face, stood with his
hands behind his back like he was in parade rest, looked at Ray and said, “Lock
and load Marine, let’s go kick a six or two and we’ll ask for their names
later. I have a good feeling about this warehouse. If it’s a bust we’ll go to
plan B and check out the other location on the rebound, let us pray” Ray stared
at Tommy but didn’t voice his thoughts, after a few second of staring at one
another Ray bowed his head.
Frankie and his two goons entered the warehouse,
laughing and cursing like if no one was present. The last one in slammed the
steel door shut behind him. The three walked over and stood with grins on their
faces staring at their prisoner. “We haven’t found that husband of yours just
yet, and he must have left town because he hasn’t been home for the past two
days. What kind of a man doesn’t look for his wife?” The words came out with a
heavy Irish accent with an extra dose of venomous venom. Pam just peered
through narrow slits from her eyes, not wanting to look up at the three evil
men who held her life in the palm of their hands. She held her tongue and
silently prayed. The three men turned and walked away leaving Pam alone but not
before one kicked the gate hard and scared her into further injuring her neck.
“I think it’s time we call that husband of yours and start this party off with
a bang” Frankie yelled over his shoulder as they headed towards the loft office
at the far end of the large warehouse. Every step the three men took was echoed
and magnified in Pam’s ears, sounding like an army of demons walking away to
plot her demise.
The phone in Ray’s
pocket rang with the tune "My Girl" by The Temptations. Ray looked at
Tommy with a nervous expression and a tremble in his voice stated, “That’s
Pam’s personal ringer” As he retrieved the phone from his pocket Tommy singled
and said, “Don’t answer it, give me a minute to have the call traced, if it’s
Pam she’ll call back and if it an abductor they’ll try again in a minute or so”
Ray was about to protest , Tommy took note and quickly said, “Trust me” with
that Ray just stared at the phone hoping it would yell out some sort of answer.
Tommy hit speed dial eight on his Blackberry, waited for the voice to answer
and without uttering a greeting stated, “I need a favor, no questions asked I
will fill you in later. Put a trace on the number I’m about to give you and
tell me where it’s at” he looked over at Ray and said “What’s Pam’s number?”
and then repeated it to the person on the other end of the line. Within a
minute the voice gave him the location, “it’s coming from a warehouse on the
grounds of a, get this, old Army base, Holabird Industrial Park. It’s a bunch
of very old warehouses that dating back to the mid to late 1800’s. Lots of
places to hide, I’m looking at real time satellite images and it’s a good place
to get ambushed” The voice sounded concerned. “Look my friend, judging from the
signal of your phone. You’re about sixty Klicks with traffic. I would venture
to say an hour and twenty minutes for a normal drive.” Tommy looked over at Ray
who was listening in on speaker and replied to the voice. “There’s going to be
nothing normal about this drive I’ll holler at ya when I’m within the last
Klick and I’ll politely ask for you to be my eyes” Tommy hit end terminating
the call and two minutes later they were traveling way pass the legal limits.
Frankie was starting to
lose his patience with Ray, he had called numerous times and the phone would
ring until voice mail picked up. “I should just put a bullet in her forehead
and feed her to the rats. It’s a good thing she isn’t whining or I would have
done her in already. I’m going to give him a little while longer and if he
doesn’t call her phone, I’m going to march down these stairs and shoot her and
drop her back off at his place. Maybe then he’ll know that I’m not one to play
games. After that we’ll find him and send him to join the Mrs.” Twice more the
phone had ringed playing “My Girl” and both times Tommy had asked Ray not to
answer. “Element of surprise, if you answer that phone we will be playing ball
their way. If and when you do answer that phone it will be as the distraction
we need to take these lowlifes down, deal?” Ray looked to his left at the man
now traveling over a hundred and ten miles an hour and most of it on the
shoulders of I95. Tommy had removed from his duffel bag a police scanner and a
state of the art Fuss buster; at the sound of a three beep warning, he came
down to the speed limit for about two minutes and then it was floor board and
no breaks. One of Frankie’s goons was sent to keep an eye by the entrance to
the massive warehouse. He stood like a sentry smoking a cigar. When Tommy was
within a few Klicks he hit speed dial eight and listened carefully knowing the
voice would speak quick and decisively. “There are four thermo images, two on
the north end of the warehouse and they are armed to the T, one is outside on
the southeast corner and another is crouched down in a fetal position and the
body heat is very low I almost missed it. You’re on your own from here on out
Miles. If I keep this man made star in this location for a minute longer I’m
going to have to explain why. Later my friend” and the line went dead.
Tommy had parked the car about half a Klick from the warehouse.
He and Ray now stood by the fence, using bolt cutters; he made a small opening
in the fence. The two men made their way across the mega yard and took up a
position just north of the warehouse. Darkness had started to close in and the
timing could not be better. Both men had dressed in black and knew that so far
they had the element of surprise. Ray had put his phone on silent with only the
vibrating mode on, not wanting for it to ring at an inappropriate time. Tommy
had decided not to call the local authorities until after they had secured the
location and Pam was safe in their custody. As much as he hated to think in
terms of law enforcement not being on the up and up, he knew that a lot of
gangsters have their local police in their hip pocket and that was a gamble he
wasn’t willing take. In the car, Tommy had giving Ray an ear piece, a comp;
this would be their only means of communication when they split up. Tommy was
now thirty yards from the lookout thug and closing in “hold your position
Scooter till I give the all clear, I have eyes on our first bogie, let me send
him for a nap” the comp. went silent for about forty-five seconds. Tommy pulled
out his Ka-Bar 1218 USMC knife and knew he had two ways he was going to use the
knife. He held it in his fist with the blade facing down and backwards and then
he tapped the thug on the shoulder with his free hand. The man spun around with
a surprised look on his face, shocked to see someone standing there. Tommy had
his forearm at the man's throat with the knife nested in-between which caused
the thug to freeze. Tommy yanked the man by his arm-sleeve and spun him around
to face the wall. With one swift motion Tommy rotated the knife one hundred and
eighty degrees and had it around the man’s neck pressed against his Adam's
apple. He then pinned the man with his left knee on the buttocks long enough to
have a needle plunged into the side of his neck. He watched the man slowly
slide down the wall; roll his eyes to the back of his head, then moved no
more.
Tommy spoke in a low
voice. “Bring up the rear all clear, waiting on you Marine.” In less than
thirty seconds Ray was at his six. “Glad to see you still have some hop in your
step” Ray was the fastest on two feet and two wheels of all the men in their
battalion earning him the code name “Scooter”, the two smiled and Tommy
whispered "are you ready? because there is no turning back” Ray
nodded and replied, “If I haven’t thanked you already I’m doing it now just in
case I don’t come out alive, also tell Pam I’m sorry and I love” Tommy raised a
fist, the symbol to stop and replied. “Pull it together Marine we go in
together and we come out the same way. And you can give her the message
yourself. We go in as planned, first we neutralize the enemy and then we see to
Pam, roger?” Ray tipped his head and they entered the building.
Pam knew she was
starting to lose consciousness the minute the giant room started fading in and
out. Her breathing was labored and she knew that the cracked lips and delirious
thinking confirmed that she was severely dehydrated along with what felt like a
collapsed lung. The pain on the left side of her back and the position of her
neck made it hard to take a deep breath. “Lord I’m ready when you are, please
make the pain go away and take me with you. Also Lord…heal Ray’s heart…so that
I may…one day see him again” The last few words trailed off and Pam only saw a
flash with her last deep breath as a welcome darkness overtook her.
The stun grenade came
through the open door and before Frankie and his second Henchmen could react
the flash had blinded them. Frankie had ducked behind the big oak desk the
second he heard the thing hit the wooden floor inside the office space. He
heard steps coming up the stairs and headed in the direction to cut the
intruder down. Slightly disoriented he rounded the door frame and stepped on
the landing, pointed his weapon and forgetting to lower it, fired into mid air.
Ray was at the bottom of the stairs bringing up the rear, he jumped over the
banister and before landing on the floor fired a three round burst hitting
Frankie first in the abdomen, second round went through the heart and the third
right under his right eye. The impact of the FMJ rounds sent the overweight
mobster over the railing and he was dead before he hit the concrete floor.
“Hold your fire I’m coming out” came the voice from inside the office. Tommy
entered in a squat stance, disarmed the man, placed a set of plastic cuffs on
him and dragged him down the stairs. He put two fingers on Frankie’s neck and
looking at Ray he shook his head. A light groan brought the two back to the
present, Ray turned on his Mag-Lite and pointed it in the direction of the
faint sound. With Tommy on his heels the two raced across the warehouse floor
dodging crates and old dead machinery. The two marines came to an abrupt stop
and Tommy almost knocked Ray over. Ray looked at the scene before him and fell
down hard on his knees. Tommy had never heard a man wail as loud and deep as
the sound coming from Ray’s throat. Tommy went past him as Ray stayed kneeling
and yelling “I swear , if it’s the last thing I do, I will kill them all” Tommy
walked up to the giant dog cage and put his finger on Pam’s wrist and found a
faint pulse. “She’s alive Ray” he was saying as he looked over and Ray was
gone. Tommy sprung to the other end of the warehouse knowing Ray was on his way
to execute the first of the two thugs that were still alive. He stood five
yards from Ray who already had the man by the collar of his jacket and yelling
at him saying, “Look at me, I want you to see the bullet when it enters your evil
brain and the last thing you see before you meet up with your boss and the
devil himself” Tommy knew that Ray was a string away from snapping so he
approached real slowly but spoke like a commanding officer and with authority,
“back down Marine and look at me Scooter, the last kill was necessary and
couldn’t be avoided but this is plain murder” still holding the man by the
collar and his 9mm pointed at his head Ray turned and facing Tommy he said,
“They killed her Miles, and left her to die like a dog, he deserves to die and
go straight to hell” Tommy knew he was walking a fine line and with Ray’s
finger firmly on the trigger, it was touch and go. He looked his friend in the
eye and said, “she’s alive Scooter, and I don’t think this is what she would want
you to do” Ray turned his attention back to the thug , spat directly into his
face as he spoke, “my partner is right, she wouldn’t want me to kill you, she
would forgive you but I won’t” Tommy closed his eyes not wanting to watch his
friend kill a man in cold blood and prayed in a soft yet audible voice “God
forgive him, he knows not what he’s doing” then he heard the loud crack of head
meets gun butt and a body hitting the ground like dead weight. Ray walked pass
Tommy and said “I guess prayer really does work” the two men took off at a
sprint and were at Pam’s side in a heartbeat.
Pam woke up and the dim
light made her jump and groan in pain. A gentle hand touched her and the
familiar voice brought new tears to her eyes. She looked to her right and saw
Ray sat there smiling at her. She sensed they weren’t alone and to her
surprise; saw Tommy, the best man at her wedding also smiling to her left. She
looked back at Ray and saw tears streaming down his face this time, but the
smile was still very much there. She stared at him and said, “I thought I had
died in that place after a bright light flashed” Ray wiped the tears on his
cheeks and replied, “No my love it was Tommy playing with his toys, and God
answering your prayer" The two men stood and walked to the foot of the
bed, shook hands, bear hugged and in unison they said in a low deep voice,
“Oorah” and with that, Tommy walked out the hospital room.
A year had gone by and Ray along with
his wife Pam boarded a flight to California to attend Thomas and Ellen's
wedding. Ray was to be the best man and Pam was one of the bridesmaids. They
took their seats on row 13 after putting their carry-on bags in the overhead
bins. They snapped on their seat belts and listened to the flight attendant’s
instructions. As the plane was heading down the runway, Pam reach for Ray's
hand and with a smile boarding on tears she said, "Scooter I'm so proud of
you" he looked at her curiously and replied, "funny, you've never
called me that before" she pated his hand with her loose hand and said,
"I know but I thought it would totally get your attention" staring at
her with a curious look of his own he asked, "And what have I done to make
such a beautiful woman so proud of me" the tear finally escaped the corner
of her eye and she replied, "Do you realize that it's been thirteen months
and seventeen days since you last had a drink. Which was four days before you
found me and today is also exactly one year since you gave your heart to The
Lord. And you have not been the same since. In a good way I might add" She
sat staring at the man she had fallen in love with twice and then laid her head
on his strong shoulder. Ray leaned over and kissed the top of her head and
replied, "I've said it before and I don't mind saying it again, God's in
the business of answering prayers"
John 15:16
